Help Nelly Mosquera Get Medical Care

My name is Mary Faith Everman and I am asking for any donations to help my grandmother, Nelly Mosquera, who developed a medical condition called Oropharyngeal Dysphagia in June of this year (2022).

Nelly Mosquera, or Mami Ney, is the most hardworking, kind, loving, heart-of-gold woman I have ever met. She has lived her entire life in Quito, Ecuador, and is a mother to six children, including my mom, Alexandra Everman. I remember going to visit Mami Ney for holidays and every time, she would have a bag of candy, including Ecuadorian treats, waiting for me and my siblings. She has shown me what it is like to be strong and brave, as she endured many hardships during her life. In August 2020, Richi Pazos, Mami Ney’s son (my uncle) died of a pulmonary embolism. Shortly after, Nelly lost her beloved husband of 65 years, Alonso Pazos, to Alzheimer’s. I feel, in my heart, that it is my family’s turn to care for her, just as she has cared for us her entire life. As the medical bills begin to pile up, we fear we may not be able to do so.

Her medical issues began with a mild cold, which suddenly and unexplainably developed into oropharyngeal dysphagia. As a result, she is incapable of swallowing solids and liquids, and she had to get a nasogastric tube (NG tube) with a constricted diet of Ensure (a nutrition shake), Pedialyte, and water. Her doctors have also recently discovered a pulmonary embolism in her right lung. Since the unexpected deterioration of her health, her doctors have run all kinds of tests, including video fluoroscopy, an endoscopy, electromyography tests, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the lungs, abdomen, and brain, and more. She is currently seeing a geriatric doctor, gastroenterologist, neurologist, speech and language therapist specializing in swallow therapy, nutritionist, and nurses to change her NG tube. In addition to her current doctors, she will need a nurse to perform the anticoagulant shots and will need new medicine for the mucus in her lungs.

Unfortunately, my grandmother is basically uninsured, as her health insurance (somewhat similar to Medicaid in the United States) will make her wait years before allowing her to see a doctor of any kind. This is time she does not have. We cannot afford private insurance for her so we are helping her pay for her medical expenses completely out of pocket. Her next medical procedure, and ultimately, the most important one, will be a Gastrostomy (a surgical procedure to attach a G-tube/feeding tube directly to her stomach from the abdomen). As of writing this, the procedure is scheduled for August 5, 2022. This procedure is absolutely essential and we are hoping to raise enough money to cover the cost of this surgery, as well as any past and future debts and medical expenses.

Anything will help, whether it is a donation (no amount too small) or sharing this GoFundMe with your friends and family. Please keep my grandmother, Nelly Mosquera, in your prayers, and thank you for taking the time to read this.

Mary Faith Everman